Built for the plant floor.
Why carry decks win indoors.

A plant is a difficult place for many cranes. The doors are low, the aisles are lined with running equipment, the floor is finished concrete, and the load may need to travel from the dock to the machine bay before it goes up. A carry deck is designed for this kind of work: it can pick, travel and set within the limits of its specific load chart, travel configuration and approved route.

01Pick it up and drive it there

The defining feature of a carry deck is in the name. Where its pick-and-carry chart permits, the crane travels with a suspended load and the operator sets it at the destination. This can combine a forklift transfer, a crane pick and a separate handling step. The customer still supplies the qualified operator, riggers and signal personnel required by the lift plan. A plant move from a receiving door to a press pit must be planned for the whole route.

The Broderson models have separate ratings for the applicable travel and stationary configurations. Use the exact model's pick-and-carry chart for the direction, radius, tire condition and travel limitations. A headline lifting capacity is not a pick-and-carry allowance.

02Built for 8-foot doors and tight aisles

Low, short, and tight-turning

A carry deck sits low because the operator sits low. Compare the IC-35 and IC-40 transport dimensions with the measured door height, aisle width and turns. Steering arrangements vary by model; do not assume a machine can turn within its own length or clear a route merely because a forklift uses it.

It is a crane that fits where a forklift fits

The practical test on any indoor job is whether the machine can get from the dock to the pick without moving fixed equipment. A compact carry deck is worth evaluating because it combines a mobile chassis with a telescopic boom. Confirm the complete swept route and floor loading for the actual machine.

03On rubber or on outriggers

Many plant lifts are short moves: a motor off a base, a gearbox onto a stand, a die into a press. The Broderson chart separates on-rubber and on-outrigger conditions. Use the applicable chart and travel restrictions before moving a suspended load. A heavier or longer-radius pick may require outriggers or a different machine; convenience does not decide the mode.

04The deck is a second machine

The flat deck behind the operator is not decoration. It carries rigging, slings, spreader bars, shims, and small components right to the work, so the crew is not walking back to the gang box between picks. On teardown, parts come off the machine and go straight onto the deck for the ride to the dock. Deck capacity is separate from crane capacity and has its own rating, so treat it as a rated load surface, not a shelf.

05Keep production running

The reason plant managers reach for a carry deck over a truck crane or a gantry comes down to disruption. A truck crane parks outside and needs a wall opening, a roof hatch, or a shutdown of the bay under the boom. A gantry has to be built around the load and torn down after. A carry deck drives in through the door you already have, works one bay while the next one keeps producing, and drives out when it is done.

• May avoid an outside crane and a wall or roof opening; confirm site access and permit requirements
• Works during production: one bay isolated, the rest of the line running
• Confirm the delivered machine power option and the facility ventilation rules; LP combustion still requires an air-quality review
• The customer supplies the qualified operator and other personnel required by the lift plan
• Rated pick and carry means the lift plan stays inside the chart, not in a gray area

06Three sizes for the plant

The IC-35 is the compact end of the lineup for narrow-aisle work. The IC-40 provides another capacity and reach option while retaining a compact footprint. The IC-80 serves larger machinery moves. Compare the exact model's chart, dimensions and equipment configuration before choosing among them for a transformer, press or gearbox.

07When a carry deck is the right call

• The load has to travel across the plant before it goes up
• Access is a standard door and an aisle, not an open yard
• The pick is repeated: motors, dies, pumps, gearboxes, HVAC on the floor
• Production cannot stop for a truck crane or a gantry build
• You need rated capacity on rubber for fast picks and outriggers for the heavy ones

Compact Lifting Equipment rents and sells Broderson IC-35, IC-40, and IC-80 carry deck cranes out of Pottstown and delivers across Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic. Send us the load, the door, and the route, and we will confirm which one fits.